41:8 “You, my servant Israel,
Jacob whom I have chosen,
offspring of Abraham my friend, 1
51:2 Look at Abraham, your father,
and Sarah, who gave you birth. 2
When I summoned him, he was a lone individual, 3
but I blessed him 4 and gave him numerous descendants. 5
1 tn Or perhaps, “covenantal partner” (see 1 Kgs 5:15 HT [5:1 ET]; 2 Chr 20:7).
2 sn Although Abraham and Sarah are distant ancestors of the people the prophet is addressing, they are spoken of as the immediate parents.
3 tn Heb “one”; NLT “was alone”; TEV “was childless.”
4 tn “Bless” may here carry the sense of “endue with potency, reproductive power.” See Gen 1:28.
5 tn Heb “and I made him numerous.”